Air India to hire over 1,000 pilots to expand fleet

New Delhi : Air India will hire over 1,000 pilots, including captains and trainers, as part of efforts to expand the airline's fleet and network.

The airline, currently having over 1,800 pilots, has placed orders for 470 aircraft with Boeing and Airbus, including for wide-body planes.

The latest Airbus firm order comprises 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000. The Boeing firm order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s and 10 777s.

The carrier, which was taken over by the Tata Group in January, 2022, is hiring over 1,000 pilots, according to reports.

"We are offering multiple opportunities and accelerated growth across our A320, B777, B787 and B737 fleet for captains and first officers, as well as trainers," it said, adding that over 500 aircraft are joining its fleet.

Meanwhile, pilots of Air India have raised concerns about the airline's latest decision to revamp their salary structure and service conditions.

On April 17, Air India rolled out a revamped compensation structure for its pilots and cabin crew, which has since been rejected by the two pilot unions - Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) - on grounds that the airline, in alleged violation of labour practices, did not consult them before finalising the new contracts.

Tata Group has four airlines-Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara, which is a joint venture with Singapore Airlines. The group is in the process of merging Air India Express and AIX Connect as well as Vistara with Air India.